From an image of Jagannath with Subhadra and Balabhadra to Krishnaleela and chapters of Ramayana, Smruti Rekha Sahu’s paintings focus on diverse themes in subtle formats.
The ‘pata’ (cloth) or canvas goes through several processes before painting a particular ‘chitra’ (image). With most of the frames narrating a tale, Smruti, who holds diploma in textile designing, says her passion to dip the brush in a palette of dyes to bring out a Patachitra began at an early age.
During an interaction with The Hindu , Smruti talks about her artistic journey. “I grew up seeing my father Rabindranath Sahu depicting beautiful themes on palm leaves. He won several State and national awards for his eye-catching Patachitra paintings. Though he passed away three years back, the school established by him in Bhubaneswar continues to offer courses in Patachitra. In addition to this, his book ‘Rekhanjali - Art of Patachitra’ serves as a guide for the beginners,” says Smruti, who moved to the port city from Odisha.
Apart from the ‘pata’ that is soaked in a paste of chalk powder, tamarind seed powder and gum obtained from apple tree, Smruti’s media also include tussar silk and handloom fabrics. “The art form has evolved over the years and so are the clients’ preferences. Besides paintings, I get orders to design saris depicting Patachitra themes,” she explains, spreading a sari featuring Odissi dancers.
Laborious task
Since extracting natural dyes for the art work has become a laborious task, the self-taught artist uses water colour powders mixed with natural gum on patas . “At times, I also source the canvas from Raghurajpur, Puri for my paintings. These days, themes such as Odissi dancers, ‘Raasleela’, ‘Radha-Krishna vivah’ (wedding) have increasingly gaining popularity and are most preferred embellishments of handloom saris,” she says.
Smruti also trains budding artists in Patachitra at her apartment located in Murali Nagar. However, she observes that many try to discontinue the training after a while or shift to other courses. To promote the art form and encourage youngsters to learn the nuances of Patachitra paintings, she plans to organise camps.
